1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for locking the legs of a passenger in a seat, in particular a seat on an installation for amusement parks.
2. Description of Related Art
Various installations are found in amusement parks where vehicles travel in which passengers sit in order to live a novel experience and to have unusual emotions and sensations.
These installations offer a very broad range of sensations ranging from a simple ride, sometimes surprising in ghost trains, to aerial acrobatic figures afforded by roller coasters.
The devices for holding passengers in the seats of the vehicles travelling in these installations are adapted to the speeds and accelerations to which the passengers are subjected. Thus roller coasters are provided with retaining devices including harnesses which constitute veritable yokes which encircle the body of the passenger so as to prevent any risk of ejection of the passenger during travel.
In a particular embodiment of suspended roller coasters, the passengers travel along the circuit, with their backs disposed substantially parallel to the track formed by the rails. Such installations are described in particular in the international patent application publications WO 99/22829 and WO 99/22830. Because of the position occupied by the passengers in these installations, it is necessary not only for the passenger to be held with regard to his body but also to lock his legs.
To this end, the devices proposed in the prior international applications mentioned above propose a device for locking the legs fixed to an element mounted for tilting on the bottom part of the seat support. Amongst other drawbacks, such a device is bulky since it requires an extension of the seat support downwards in order to serve as a support for tilting.
The aim of the present invention is to propose a device for holding the legs of the passenger which remedies the drawbacks of known devices, which is simple to produce, whilst allowing great safety and great comfort for the passenger.